Joakim Soria generating plenty of interest in free agency
The market for former Oakland A’s reliever Joakim Soria is starting to heat up, as every team in the AL West has checked in with his representatives.
Joakim Soria is starting to become a hot name in free agency. Not only are the Oakland A’s interested in bringing him back for the 2021 season, but the Blue Jays, Twins, Rangers, Astros, and Angels have all checked in with his representatives. Soria could find himself as the subject of an unexpected bidding war.
Now, another team can be added to that list. The Mariners have also checked in on Soria, completing the AL West collection.
Source: The Mariners have shown interest in free agent Joakim Soria, meaning every club in the AL West has checked in on the two-time All-Star this offseason. @MLB @MLBNetwork @MLB_Mexico @MexicoBeis
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 18, 2021
The Al West has gotten a good look at Soria over the years. Not only has he spent the last two seasons in Oakland, but he had also spent two years with the Rangers earlier in his career. He may not be the same pitcher he was then, that adds to the familiarity.
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Soria would be a solid option for teams looking for either a setup man or a closer. He made two All Star Games as a closer earlier in his career, and handled the ninth inning as recently as 2018. He could still get the job done for a team looking for a relatively inexpensive option to close out games in the coming year.
He put together another solid season in 2020. Soria posted a respectable 2.82 ERA and a 1.254 WHiP over his 22.2 innings, striking out 24 batters with ten walks. There are some concerns related to Soria’s performance as his walk rate increased while his strikeout rate decreased, but he was still an effective reliever.
As free agency is beginning to kick into gear, and the top bullpen options are either coming off the board or narrowing down their choices, pitchers such as Soria will begin to get more attention. He has already garnered a decent amount of interest on the open market, and that may continue to increase.
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Joakim Soria’s market is starting to heat up. He may end up as the next player to depart the Oakland A’s.